Weatherproofing fastener



Patented Nov. z3, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE WEATHERPROOFING FASTENERl Heyman Rosenberg, New York, N. Y.

Application October 23, 1934, Serial No. 749,642

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hammer-driven fasteners of the type provided with a soft, malleable metal head or similar covering for its head for use in anchoring sheet metal, such as corrugated iron, or like roof coverings, to sub-structures or other supports.

The invention has among its objects increased eiiiciency in insuring against leakage between the metal roong and the roofing-engaging portions mrof the head of the fastener, and another object is the anchorage of the lead or other soft metal to the fastener both in a manner to insure such non-leaking joint and to insure against dislocation, spreading, detachment, or other injury to the' soft metal.

A still further object is the provision of special anchorage means for connecting the soft metal to the fastener while providing increased strength for the fastener atits head end, and also providing greater ease and eii'iciency in approach for facilitating application of the soft metal to the fastener.

With these and other objects in view as will in part hereinafter become apparent and in part be stated, the invention includes a fastener having integral means for causing a soft metal plate or covering engaging the fastener to present an edge in the direction of movement when the fastener is being driven in with such edge immediately backed by the more stable or harder metal of the fastener.

The invention also comprises a fastener body and an integral head frame having a tapering portion meeting the body, and a web circumferentially outstanding from the enlarged end part of the tapering portion, and a lead or like soft metal covering enclosing the margin of the web.

The invention still further includes the said features with a flange on the periphery of the web extending in the direction of movement of the fastener when the same is being driven into place, and the invention also includes a similar flange upstanding from the peripheral portion of 45 said web.`

The inventionY also comprises certain other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts as subsequently specified and claimed. 50 I n the accompanying drawing,-

Figure l is a cross section through a fragment of roofing structure illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, the body of the fastener being seen in elevation and its head in section.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, Vfragmentary view of (ci. ssa-2s) the fastener detached, part of the body being broken away for the saving of space. Y

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating a method of making the fastener illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of a fastener embodying the same head structure as the fastener of Figures 1 and 2 but with the soft metal covering omitted, and with a part of the body modified to cause the structure of Figure 4 to correspond in body formation to the conventional wire nail.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, I indicates a board or rail or other sub-structure or appropriate support for a sheet of metal 2, which .sheet is usually that of a roof covering, such as corrugated galvanized iron or the like, but, of course, the sheet 2 may be ceiling or other sheet metal, and the support I may be otherwise 1ocated than beneath sheet 2. The sheet 2 is fastened to the support I by fasteners which are essentially of the type of nails or like hammerdriven fasteners, each consisting of a body 3 and a head frame made up of a tapering portion or inverted cone frustum 4 having at its upper extremity a circumferential outstanding web 5,

which web in turn, at its periphery, is provided with a. down-turned or pendent flange 6 and upturned ilange 1, the directions of down and "up being considered from the assumption that the fastener 3 is in an upright position with its entering end downward. The tapering portion 4 is a cone frustum formed integral at its lower end with the body 3 and integral at'its upper end with the web 5, a portion of the material preferably upstanding at B above the plane of the upper surface of web 5 to provide both an integral impact-receiving or crownportion and also to produce an annular channel 9 lying between the upstanding flange 'I and the crown portion 8. A flat edge is provided by the lower terminus or free margin ofiiange 8 presented in the direction of movement of the parts when driven into work. Flange 6 provides between itself and the cone frustum d a circumferential channel Il] similar to the circumferential channel 9. The free margins of flanges 6 and I are preferably slightly rounded at the edges to reduce likelihood of cutting the overlying lead when the fastener is being driven to place, but, between these rounded edges, said margins are at, and particularly that of flange 6 so that the overlying lead presents a iiat circumferential /edge to the engaged work when the fastener is applied.

The cone irustum 4 and its integral parts 5, 6,

1, and 8 comprise a head frame or head portion for the body 3. These are covered by a layer or coating of lead or like soft metal I I. The layer or coating Il may be applied in any of various acceptable ways, such as by having the head frame sufllciently heated, supplied with flux, and dipped into a body of molten soft metal, and then wiped or inserted into a matrix or otherwise treated for shaping the lead covering and eliminating excess lead. Or the coating II may be applied by a stamping operation while the lead is cold, or it may be produced otherwise as preferred. It is desirable that the lead coating or covering II shall enclose the peripheral portions of the web 5 at least to the extent of having the lower or f ree margin of the flange 6 covered to present an annular at edge of soft metal in the direction of movement when the fastener is driven into place. It is also desirable to have a sufficient amount of the soft metal extend laterally inward of the flange 6 to.ll or substantially fill the channel I0 to provide additional resistance against dislocation of the lead covering during handling and during application under hammer blows. It will also be noted that the channel 9, providing inner and outer shoulders against which the lead lling of the channel engage, will resist tendency of the lead covering II to spread o r loosen from the head frame during hammering of the fastener.

The body of the fastener 3 may be of any of various forms, such, for example, as therscrewnail construction shown in Figures 1 and 2, and seen in my Patent No. 1,912,099, or may be of any other desired form adapted for use in work to provide the requisite non-leaking anchorage.

As the structure seen in Figure 3 is identical with that seen in Figures 1 and 2, except for the conventional Wire nail shape of the body, the same reference numerals have been applied and the same description equally applies. 'I'he body 3 in each instance is shown as possessing the indentations I2 produced by the gripping device that holds the wire blank during action of the header in cold-flowing the head frame from the material of said blank. 'I'his heading operation is done by a stamping die engaging the outer end portion of the blank and compressing it into an appropriate, cooperating matrix-die shaped and proportioned to produce the cone frustum 4, the channel I0, and the flange S. -The stamping die produces the channel 9 with the resulting upstanding portion 8 and an-ge 1. Said dies are also shaped to delimit the periphery of the web 5, which is the outer substantially cylindrical face of the angesS and 1.

When it is desired to apply the coating or covering I I by flowing the lead or like soft metal, the body 3 may be deposited in a hole or recess provided in an appropriate support and suiciently near the same diameter as body 3 to prevent the .cone frustum I from entering. Thus, cone frustum l and the balance of the head frame are held in an upstanding position above the support about the head frame while it is hot and supported vand enclosed as =een in Figures 2 and 3. 'I'he lead, of course, can be cold-flowedto enclose the head frame if subject to suilicient pressure and properly conned and directed.

Thus, the coating II may be applied either'by dipping or stamping, or otherwise, and in any case may be caused to occupy the annular groove or channel I0 as well as cover the other parts above the said channel and thus fill the annular channel or groove 9.

In use, the fastener is driven like a nail through the sheet metal 2 into the support I and the fiat edge of the lead or other soft metal coating overlying the free margin of the flange 6 will be presented to and forced, and if necessary mashed, into non-leaking engagement with the outer surface of the sheet metal 2. In driving the fastener to this position, a hammer blow or hammer blows is or are delivered to the lead overlayed crown portion 8 of the head of the fastener. Whereas in heretofore proposed types of at-head nails with lead-coated heads, it has been found that. a hammer blow at times spreads and thus loosens or cracks the lead coating, the present head frame resists the tendency toward spreading or radia expansion of the lead coating under the hammer low, and, accordingly, prevents any loosening or other injury to any part of such coating. The flange 1 effectively resists any tendency of the lead surrounded by it to spread, crack or be injured by hammer blows, and thus also prevents loosening of the lead from the periphery of the head frame. Flange 6 also connes the lead in channel Ill against loosening or spreading, and the lead coating is thus fully protected both above and below web 5. In other words, the circumferential bead of lead of v,coating II which fills vterm soft metal as employed in the appended claims is intended to include any soft metal appropriate for the purpose of forming a leak-tight joint, and particularly lead and the various alloys that are highly malleable.

As seen in Figures 2 and 3, one acceptable andv eflicient mode of applying the coating involves the use of a support or matrix I3, made of two sections and divided' at Ilto be opened or moved apart for insertion and remov'al of nails. When a nail is inserted into a notch l5 of one section of matrix I3 and the similarly notched cooperating section is brought into contact with the rst and its notch registering with notch I5, the two notches will snugly encircle body 3 with the lower terminal portion of cone frustum 4 closing the upper end of the hole or recess formedhy the two notches. An upstanding part I6 beneath web 5 causes the owing lead to assume the offset to provide the flat annular edge of lead enclosing ange 6. ofcourse, when molten lead is poured on top of the head frame when thus positioned', it is desirable to apply a shaping tool to the upper surface of coating II while it is yet 4hot to give it the nish seen in Figure 2, but this is a detail of manufacturing operation that can be Areadily provided for. Of course, fon-quantityfproduction the matrix I3 will be provided with nailreceiving portions in the multiple and be fed and discharged automatically, and the lead supply and shaping of the upper surface will also be done by automatic machinery.

What is claimed is:-

1. In fasteners, the combination, with a body, of a head frame therefor having means for receiving a soft metal coating, said head frame having an abruptly shouldered, inwardly facing,

Vmetal imprisoning -portion about and above the upper surface of the main portion of the head frame to resist spreading or loosening of the upper coating of the head frame under hammer blows, and a soft metal coating covering said head frame.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shouldering is formed by a channel in the head frame located and. shaped to receive and embrace a bead of the soft metal coating.

3. In fasteners, the combination, with a relatively hard metal body, having a head frame comprising an outstanding web terminating peripherally in an upstanding flange, and an upstanding central crown portion producing with the upstanding iiange an annular channel in the upper side of the head frame, of a soft4 metal coating for the head frame including a bead of soft metal imprisoned in the annular channel.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 with a pendent ange also extending from the web and formed with an abrupt internal shoulder, the Y soft metal coating for said frame extending down to, across, and within the pendent flange.

5. In fasteners, the combination, with a body, of a head frame therefor Ihaving an outstanding web terminating perlpherally in an abrupt upstanding iiange and an abrupt pendent flange, and a soft metal coating for said head frame having portions surrounded by the upstanding and pendent anges and a portion underlying the pendent flange.

6. A head frame of hard metal for va driven fastener and a coating of soft metal therefor, said head frame comprising a cone frustum, a web circumferentially outstanding therefrom, and broad-based marginal flanges upstanding and pendent from the periphery of the web, said flanges having abrupt, inwardly facing shoulders for retaining the soft metal in place.

7. A hammer-driven fastener head frame comprlsing a cone frustum having. an outstanding web at its base, an upstanding crown portion above the web in line with the cone frustum, and upstanding and pendent broad-based anges at the periphery of the web, said anges having abrupt, inwardly facing shoulders.

8. In fasteners, the combination with a body, of a head frame, a soft metal head therefor, said head frame having anupstanding marginal ange, abruptly shouldered to resist spreading or loosening of the soft head metal under hammer blows, and the head frame being formed with a crown portion upstanding at least to the level of the marginal flange for receiving the force of thehammer blows from the soft metal head and transmitting such force directly to the body.

9. In a fastener, in combination, a body, a head' frame, said head frame comprising upper and lower marginal flanges and a central driving boss extending upward at least as far as the upper marginal flange, and a soft metal head enclosing said head frame and iitting the same, said soft metal head being of greater height in its middle portion than in the marginal portion which over-V lies the upper flange to protect the marginal portion of the head against injury by hammer blows.

10. In a fastener, in combination, a body, a head frame, said head frame including a radially extending flange portion formed on the body, an upstanding marginal flange portion and a central driving boss extending upward at least as far as the upper marginal flange, and a soft metal head enclosing said head frame and fitting the same, said soft metal head being of greater height over the driving boss than over the marginal ange to protect the marginal portion of the head against injury by hammer blows.

11. In a fastener, in combination, a body, a

head frame, said head frame including a radially extending flange portion formed on the body, and a depending marginal flange portion which, with the body, defines an abruptly shouldered annular channel in the under side of the head frame, and a soft metal head enclosing and fitting the head frame, said soft metal head including a depending marginal flange of substantial height.

' HEYMAN 

